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The document discusses the evolution of business communications, highlighting the transition from traditional methods to multi-channel interactions facilitated by technology, particularly through Communication Platforms as a Service (CPaaS). CPaaS provides real-time communication features that integrate into existing applications, offering benefits such as cost efficiency, accessibility, and improved engagement for both businesses and customers. It also outlines key considerations for selecting the right CPaaS provider to ensure it meets the unique communication needs of a business.
Clique API
- 1. Communications Platforms as aService: The Future of Business Communications
- 2. Introduction .....................................................................................................................3 Business CommunicationsProblems in Today’s World.............................. 4 What Is CPaaS?...............................................................................................................5 Benefits of CPaaS.......................................................................................................... 6 How to Select the Right CPaaS Provider............................................................ 8 Clique API.......................................................................................................................... 9 The Future of CPaaS....................................................................................................10 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................10 CONTENTS
- 3. www.CliqueAPI.com 3 Clique APIWhitepaper 2019 Introduction Business communications, whether business- to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C), have changed drastically over the past 20 years. The internet has become the great leveler, allowing small businesses to have the same access to resources and the consumer as mediumand large-sized businesses. Where communications once had to be face-to-face or via the telephone, we can now also email, SMS text message, and instant message each other or communicate via social media, apps, and blogs. B2B communications and collaboration frequently happen via platforms that allow teams and co-workers to instant message each other, share data and computer screens, hold conference calls, and co-create and co- edit documents. B2C communication has largely been taken to social media and blogs, where the consumer can interact directly with the brand, although push notifications and chatbots1 are becoming more popular. Perhaps the most significant impact of the change in communication technology has been the fact that, whether B2B or B2C, communications can happen instantaneously on a global scale. This means a company can have a 100%-remote workforce and a business can have customers and suppliers spread around the globe. When it comes to working remotely:2 • Close to 25% of the U.S. workforce works remotely at least some of the time • Employees at Fortune 1,000 companies are away from their desk 50% to 60% of the time • 80% to 90% of the U.S. workforce would like to work remotely at least part-time A remote workforce increases the need for conference calls and virtual meetings. Loopup commissioned a Research Now survey that was conducted in 2015 and surveyed business people in both the U.K. and the U.S.3 On average, 73% of respondents in these two countries attended between one and five conference calls per week, and another 17% attended six to 10 calls per week. Loopup also reports that the average conference call length was 38 minutes. When it comes to B2C communications, it is clear that it has become a multi-channel event. RR Donnelley in the U.K. surveyed leaders in marketing and technology to find out where they thought B2C communications were headed.4 Of those surveyed, 99% believe mobile will be critical and 87% plan to give multi-channel, synchronized customer experience the highest priority. Advancements in technology have improved B2B and B2C communications significantly. However, there are still noteworthy problems when it comes to having a streamlined communication experience. This whitepaper explores one of the primary challenges that comes with business communications in today’s world and offers a solution that will help address that challenge, particularly in the voice communication and meeting space. 1 Britt, K. 2016. CPaaS: The future of omnichannel marketing. Fourth Source. http://www.fourthsource.com/cloudcomputing/ cpaas-future-omnichannel-marketing-21611. Accessed July 7, 2018. 2 Global Workplace Analytics. Updated 2017. Latest Telecommuting Statistics. http://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/telecommuting-statistics. Accessed June 29, 2018. 3 Loopup. 2015. Understanding the Impact of Conference Calls on Business. https://loopup.com/app/uploads/2016/11/Research-Now-2015-Survey.pdf. Accessed June 28, 2018. 4 RR Donnelley. 2016. Future of B2C Communications. http://www.rrdonnelley.co.uk/insights/future-of- b2ccommunications. Accessed June 28, 2018.
- 4. www.CliqueAPI.com4 Clique API Whitepaper2019 Business Communications Problems in Today’s World Over the past two decades, technology has developed rapidly and nearly everything about a business has gone digital. This includes B2B and B2C communications. Mobility plays a large role in the business communications landscape, which means people are spread between various devices and platforms. According to VMWare, 78% of organizations are in the process of implementing mobile in the workplace or have already succeeded in doing so.5 When it comes to mobility and the consumer, the use of mobile in B2C interactions is skyrocketing. Insurance companies are encouraging customers to take their own photos of an accident, including a time stamp and a GPS stamp, and consumers can increase the frequency of interaction they have with eCommerce sellers, ensuring the service they receive becomes more targeted and personalized.6 When it comes to communications and the transfer of information, there are a number of issues that have been a cause for concern over the past decade, such as: • Security • Poor quality • Missed messages • Technical resources • Accessibility • Misunderstood communications The above issues with business communications are all valid and have been dealt with to a degree. However, there is one outstanding issue that has been plaguing B2B and B2C communications. This is the issue of multi-channel communication and it is a serious challenge in today’s high-tech world. As discussed above, business communications can happen in many different ways. We can communicate with business colleagues and customers via numerous channels, such as telephone, email, SMS, instant messaging, apps, social media, websites and web forms, and newsletters. Each channel of communication on its own is useful in the right set of circumstances.7 However, when it comes to these multiple channels of communication, each channel has limitations. For example, a customer might be on their bank’s app. Yet, if they want to speak with a representative of the bank to ask questions or get technical help, they need to leave the app to phone the bank because there is no phone, chat, or video chat feature built into the app. Consider the virtual meeting, having all attendees leave what they are doing in whatever app or platform they are using to join a meeting with an access code via a specific platform or the phone. Downloading the software, remembering to sign in, and hoping the access code works are all major issues. It can cause delays just waiting for everyone to get onboard for the meeting and making sure that audio is working for everyone. The ability to connect with colleagues and customers from a single app is critical in today’s fastpaced world. Yet, building this type of technology into apps can be a huge expense forcompanies.Fortunately,asolutionhasbeen developed that will allow communications to bridge applications easily. 5 VMWare. 2016. The State of the Digital Workplace. http://campaign.vmware.com/imgs/GlobalCampaigns/39249/State_of_the_DW_2016.pdf. Accessed July 2, 2018. 6 Accenture. 2012. The New Age of Mobility. https://www.accenture.com/ca-en/~/media/Accenture/ Conversion- Assets/DotCom/Documents/Global/PDF/Technology_6/Accenture-New-Age-of-Mobility.
- 5. www.CliqueAPI.com 5 Clique APIWhitepaper 2019 What Is CPaaS? CPaaS stands for Communications Platform as a Service. It is a cloud-based service that allows real-time communication features to be used from within applications. As discussed above, it is important for two-way communication between businesses and their employees, colleagues, and customers to happen quickly and easily. However, there are so many apps and other methods of communication used in today’s business world that it is often necessary to jump from one to another to ensure the right communication is sent to the right people in the right format. Communication from a single app is the ideal situation. To accomplish this requires a development framework that provides the features of real-time communication with colleagues, employees, and customers from directly within a single app. However, it can be cost-prohibitive for a company, small or large, to have that communications framework built into their business apps. 7 Nagy, M. On the Problem of Multi-Channel Communication. http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-848/ICTERI-2012- CEUR-WSpaper- 40-p-128-133.pdf. Accessed July 2, 2018. CPaaS has changed the communications landscape by allowing developers to integrate pre-built communications features into their existing communications software, allowing them to provide their employees, colleagues, and customers with the benefit of real-time voice, SMS, and video without the need to build and maintain that framework.8 This is accomplished through the use of application programming interfaces (APIs), allowing businesses from small to large to implement this type of real- time communications framework in less time and for a significantly lower cost because they can piggyback it onto the applications and platforms they and their contacts are already using.
- 6. www.CliqueAPI.com6 Clique API Whitepaper2019 Benefits of CPaaS CPaaSisagoodoptionforbusinessesofanysize and it offers a host of benefits over traditional, disjointed forms of business communication. The primary goal of CPaaS is to provide seamless communications for businesses, either B2B or B2C, without being overly costly or requiring a dedicated infrastructure. CPaaS delivers on these requirements by offering the following benefits: It Is More Affordable When using CPaaS, there is no need for an organization to hire developers to create the frameworks needed to build communications into their apps and there is no need to expand their current infrastructure. Instead, the communications platform is offered as a service that can be paid for on a monthly, as- you-use-it basis. This can save companies 50% to 60% in the first year of using CPaaS.9 This is particularly meaningful for small companies, only 19% of which have full- time, in-house IT staff, while the rest rely primarily on external contractors.10 It Makes Communications More Accessible It is estimated that about 15% of the world’s population has special needs.11 Many of these people have a difficult time with communications due to hearing, sight, or speech limitations. CPaaS makes it possible to integrate different modes of communication into an app that make it easier for people to communicate with a business or special needs employees to communicate with co-workers. The options of voice for visually impaired people and SMS for hearing impaired people open up communication with segments of the population that might not otherwise have access to communication with a business or within the setting of a virtual meeting. In addition, CPaaS allows businesses to send push notifications to employees and customers, which can help people with memory challenges receive important reminders about time-sensitive information.
- 7. www.CliqueAPI.com 7 Clique APIWhitepaper 2019 8 CSO. CPaaS Explained: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Improve Communications. https://www.csoonline.com/article/3247824/leadership-management/cpaas-explained-what-it-is-why- it-mattersand- how-it-can-improve-communications.html. Accessed July 2, 2018. 9 Hipp, A. 2018. Addressing the wholesale voice ‘Efficiency, Scalability and Agility’ paradox using Cataleya’s CPaaS solutions. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/addressing-wholesale-voice-efficiency- scalability-agility-hipp/. Accessed July 2, 2018. 10 McCabe, L. 2014. Why Vendor Definitions of SMB Matter. https://lauriemccabe.com/2014/05/05/why- vendordefinitions- of-smb-size-matters/. Accessed June 30, 2018. 11 World Health Organization. World report on disability. http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/report/en/. Accessed July 2, 2018. Improved Engagement Customers and employees can easily communicate with a business from wherever they are. There is no need to leave one app or platform and go into a separate one to communicate. The entire process is simplified and seamless, so everything can happen from a single app. This means customers and employees can be more engaged throughout their interaction with a business. It Offers Easy Integration CPaaS easily integrates voice, video, and SMS with existing software and applications, making all communications streamlined without the investment in additional infrastructure or in-house development staff. It Is Easily Scalable Since CPaaS is offered as an as-needed service, it can be scaled as a business grows. Ideally, the CPaaS offers a fee structure that accommodates small-, medium-, and large- sized businesses. This allows a business, even a start-up, to start small and expand their communications as their customer and/or employee base grows. It Is Flexible CPaaS offers flexibility that makes it easy for a business to choose the right communications options for their needs. Some businesses may want push notifications and others may not. Some businesses want to build voice capabilities into their app while others want to ensure an SMS chat feature is available. With CPaaS, a business can choose the options that work best for them and change those options as the business grows and changes. It Allows 24/7 Service Businesses are no longer restricted to the traditional 9-5 communication window, which is particularly important in light of the fact that many operate on a global scale. Companies can have staff in various time zones who can answer calls, conduct chat sessions, or attend meetings or they can employ AI chatbots and push notifications to keep their customers and employees in the loop no matter the time of day. It Makes Communication Fully Mobile With CPaaS, there is no need to be tied to a desk phone, a desk top computer, or even a laptop. Communications can take place in a fully mobile manner because the CPaaS APIs are designed to work with mobile communications apps. With these benefits it makes a lot of sense to implement CPaaS to improve and streamline business communications. The key is to understand what to look for when it comes to selecting the right provider to suit the needs of the business.
- 8. www.CliqueAPI.com8 Clique API Whitepaper2019 How to Select the Right CPaaS Provider As with any other service, not all CPaaS providers are created equal. In addition, every business comes with a unique set of communication needs, and it is important to choose the CPaaS provider that can best meet the needs of your business. To accomplish this goal, there are a number of important considerations when choosing a CPaaS provider. Keep in mind that not all of these will be applicable to the needs of every business. Is the cost structure flexible? It is important to avoid platforms that charge a flat fee for their service. There should be flexibility built into the platform so that small businesses don’t have to pay unreasonable fees for the small amount of resources they use. At the same time, there should be discounts for larger businesses that have a high volume of communications, whether that is B2B or B2C. Is the platform scalable? The CPaaS service must be able to grow with the company. Small, medium, or large in size, companies can acquire large numbers of customers or grow their staff in a short period of time and the platform must be able to accommodate that. Does the provider own and operate their own infrastructure? If the provider does have their own infrastructure, they can provide their own Service Level Agreement that will guarantee their level of service in terms of reliability, response times, and quality of audio and video. If the provider uses a third-party network, they won’t be able to offer these guarantees. In addition, going through a third- party might result in a business paying higher fees for their CPaaS. Do they have the features and APIs you need? You might need just voice and messaging capabilities, primarily for conference calls and other intra-business communications, or you might require video in addition to these more basic methods of communication. The provider you choose needs to have the features and APIs to meet your current communication needs, as well as those of the immediate future. Do they offer flexible deployment options? CPaaS is a cloud-based service, but the provider should have the flexibility and the capability to work with you if you have an on-premise or hybrid communications infrastructure. Be sure the provider can offer you the option of integrating with on-premise infrastructure or creating a hybrid communications model. Do they offer data analytics? Businesses benefit most when they can learn from their communications with both customers and employees. The provider should offer the ability to analyze the data collected from communications, so you can improve and tailor your communications to better meet the needs of your customers and employees. Is there Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity? By 2020, the number of connected devices is estimated to reach nearly 41 billion.12 That number was just 16 billion in 2014. Providers need to be able to accommodate these devices, which includes the standard laptops, mobile phones and tablets, as well as smart technology, such as wearable tech, smart meters and grids, televisions and monitors, and robotics. Do they offer the right geographic coverage? This is important particularly if a business operates on an international level because some providers operate locally. The provider must be able to accommodate communications in different countries, supply the appropriate phone numbers, and handle phone numbers coming in from various carriers. With the above considerations in mind, the key is to choose a CPaaS provider that is at the top of their game when it comes to the communication needs of the business. Not every business is going to need video or SMS. When it comes to business communications, particularly when it comes to virtual meetings and other intra-company communications,one of the leading providers of CPaaS voice communications is Clique API.
- 9. www.CliqueAPI.com 9 Clique APIWhitepaper 2019 Clique API Clique API is a leader in CPaaS voice communications and is backed by a team of world-class engineers in the communications industry. Clique API offers high-definition (HD) voice features that will integrate seamlessly with a number of applications and platforms, such as: • Salesforce • Slack • Teams • G Suite • Microsoft Office • Unity • Unreal Engine Clique API offers APIs and SDKs for: • Cross-platform integration • On-demand phone numbers • Call logging • Text-to-voice • Voice-to-text • SMS security Call bridging • Sending SMS alerts • Recording and storage of calls These APIs and SDKs make it possible to use high-quality voice no matter what operating system, device, location, format, or application environment the target audience is using. There is no need to download software or remember a PIN to connect a call. All that is required is clicking a link, which can be done from within any communications application or platform then are using, even custom applications. Even if a meeting participant is using a landline phone, their phone number can be entered into Clique API and the application will automatically call them so they can join the meeting. In addition, Clique API customers have used their APIs to add a voice component to VR and AR systems, game engines, and collaboration platforms. Clique API sets itself apart in the CPaaS space with the unique meeting features it provides users. Despite the fact that meetings and conference calls are increasingly necessary as we spread the workforce out, there are aspects of meetings that have always been a challenge for the organizers and participants. These include: • Scheduling the meeting • Setting the agenda • Taking notes • Assigning tasks Clique API makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) to automate many of these processes. Using voice APIs, many tedious, yet necessary businesses tasks are automated behind the scenes. The Clique bot will: • Schedule meetings based on everyone’s schedules • Follow up with participants to make sure they are aware of the meeting • Dial everyone into the meeting at the appropriate time • Provide the agenda and let each participant know what is required of them • Take notes • Record action items • Automate translations and transcriptions • Allow for real-time assessments by participants • Arrange for follow-up meetings • Deliver transcripts and action items • Offer a survey to participants to improve future meetings This makes it possible for everyone involved in the meeting to spend less time managing the tedious tasks, so they can focus on the actual meeting. Plus, it works whether the meeting participants are spread out geographically or sitting in the same room. 12 ABI Research. 2014. The Internet of Things Will Drive Wireless Connected Devices to 40.9 Billion in 2020. https://www.abiresearch.com/press/the-internet-of-things-will-drive-wireless-connect/. Accessed July 2, 2018.
- 10. www.CliqueAPI.com10 Clique API Whitepaper2019 The Future of CPaaS CPaaS is picking up steam as the future of business communications and it is projected to grow at a phenomenal rate, with CPaaS spend reaching $6.7 billion by 2022, up from more than $1.6 billion in 2017.13 This growth is, in part, fueled by the multinational corporations that are beginning to use CPaaS technology to enhance their multi-channel communications. Along with this growth in CPaaS spend, will come a number of developments in the industry, including the following:14 • CPaaS will go serverless • The use of omnichannel communications will grow so that customers and employees will be able to communicate with a business on the channel they prefer • Programming of CPaaS will rely more on visual IDE • CPaaS developers will rely more on AI and machine learning • CPaaS will move in the direction of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) • CPaaS will begin to integrate more bots into their omnichannel presence •CPaaSwillbegintoconformtodataprotection regulations in the EU and other locations With this future development, it will be critical for every business to have an online communications presence that makes communications more accessible and convenient for employees and customers. If they don’t, they may be left behind. With the increasingly diverse methods of communication and the increasingly numerous types of devices through which people communicate with businesses, whether they are employees, colleagues, or customers, B2B and B2C communications have become fragmented. It is often a nuisance to have to leave one app or platform to contact a business via phone, chat, SMS text message, or IM. Now, thanks to the advent of CPaaS, these disjointed forms of communication have been brought together in a seamless integration that allows communications to happen from within any app. CPaaS allows voice, text, and video communications to happen from within an app or platform, eliminating the need for employees and customers to jump from one app or platform to another to connect with a business. When it comes to communications within a business, particularly the virtual meeting, businesses need to have a way to ensure that anyone can attend the meeting easily from within any application they are using and that they can focus on the meeting itself, without the need to deal with tedious tasks that can easily be automated, so their attention can be where it needs to be. Clique API provides that virtual meeting space, connecting everyone to the meeting via the app or platform they are using or via the telephone. The entire process is fully automated. It’s time for businesses to bring communications to where the employee and customer are, instead of expecting them to come to the business. CPaaS makes that possible, and that makes CPaaS the future of business communications. Conclusion 13 Globe News Wire. 2018. Enterprise CPaaS spend set to quadruple to $6.7bn by 2022, estimates Juniper Research. CLX Communications. https://globenewswire.com/news- release/2018/02/20/1361605/0/en/Enterprise- CPaaS-spend-set-to-quadruple-to-6-7bn-by-2022- estimates-Juniper-Research.html. Accessed July 7, 2018. 14 Levant-Levi, T. 2018. 7 CPaaS Trends to Follow in 2018. Blog Geek.Me. https://bloggeek.me/7-cpaas- trends- 2018/. Accessed July 7, 2018.